Killjoys (2015) s04e09 Episode Script
The Kids are Alright?
1 Previously on "Killjoys" Hey, Pippen.
What the hell do you think you're doing? There's a spider in your brain.
It controls you without you even knowing it.
It's literally keeping you alive now.
[SCREAMS.]
What do the Hullen want with kids? - I don't know.
- Why did they take Gared? They think he knew something.
They took him to be interrogated.
- We're busting out of here.
- No, the kids.
No, don't, Gared! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
If we try to save those kids like this, we're dead.
We have to come back for them.
Why did you leave the Scarbacks? Faith is like any type of romance.
You can't love someone if they don't think you're worth the truth.
Why are the Hullen hunting me? We know the Lady wants you.
We just don't know why.
Before she left, Delle Seyah gave me this.
I think I could be safe there with her.
I need to know if you're giving up on us.
- No.
- Good.
Ah! Ow, my back! What is it? What's happening? [COMPUTER BEEPING.]
- - Did you enjoy Khlyen's case study on the chemical properties of plasma, Seyah? Definitely not a best-seller.
I hope the sequel has more sex.
The remaining files from Khlyen's data purge contain no references to erotic interplay - between humans.
- Thank gods for study aids.
Seyah, I'm detecting a breach in the Docking Bay.
A breach? No one knows I'm here.
Perhaps pirates, scavengers.
It's never housekeeping.
- On screen.
- Apologies, Seyah, but my camera feeds have been disabled.
Disabled how? My security protocols have been taken offline.
- Well, get them online.
- I cannot.
All my subroutines have been remotely firewalled.
So what can you do? I can tell you my geolocators show movement 50 meters from our current location.
40 meters.
30 meters.
- 20 meters.
- Fine.
- If you want me, come get me.
- Ten meters.
Zero meters.
[TORCH HISSES.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[LOCK CLINKS.]
[UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC.]
It's your weekend.
[EXHALES.]
This chip was for emergencies.
And we're cashing it in.
The Lady wants Jaq.
- Almost caught him on Telen - I'm sorry, Jaq? Yeah, Ozzman wasn't really a fit.
Little man's like, 100% D'av.
Can't lie for shit, and gullible as mittens.
He goes by Jaq now.
His choice.
I left Jaq with you so he'd be safe.
He won't be safe until we kill the Lady, so until then, we need to hide him where she can't find him.
- Surprise.
- Next time, call ahead.
So you'll protect him? Just let that bitch try to take him.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I'll get the rest of his things.
I thought you were going to Qresh to take back the Nine.
And I will when Aneela can rule beside me.
Khlyen told me he kept safehouses across the J.
If he knew how to get into greenspace, he would have hidden the secret in one of them.
So I've been tracking them all down since I left.
Westerley, Prodigy, here on Arkyn.
Khlyen made a weapon in this lab.
One that could defeat the Lady.
Hold up, you know about the spore? One day, Killjoy, you'll accept that I know everything.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Here, I've even done your job for you.
What I found so far.
All of Khlyen's research on the Green.
Hullen biotech, mostly.
How the plasma powers their systems.
It's useless now, now that the Green's frozen.
And the greenspace? I used to dream of seeing you hurt like this after Pawter.
But I'll free Aneela.
I promise.
[INHALES.]
But if you use a cryopod for a babysitter, we will have words.
[BEEPING.]
Labeling? I'm the only kid here.
Soldiers get a little OCD before a mission.
He's totally going to cry, isn't he? Like, snot bubble hard.
[EXHALES.]
- Keep up your training, okay? - It won't be the same with somebody else pulling knives on me.
Oh, Delle Seyah's pretty handy with a backstab.
Not every fight's won with weapons, so learn from her.
And be gentle.
He may be big, but he's made of marshmallow.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
All right, go on, then.
Socks and underwear are in your shoes.
Shirts are rolled up into your pants.
Packing is all about maximizing space.
[EXHALES.]
Damn it, I forgot a jacket.
Dad, I'll be okay.
Dad.
[SOFT MUSIC.]
I was just getting used to that.
And now you're leaving.
Uh, something else.
It was the only picture I had.
Don't forget me.
Never.
[DOOR BEEPS.]
You ready to go, you little booger? So, it's Jaq now, is it? Hello, Mother.
Hello, Jaqobis Ozzman Kin Rit.
Yes, ma'am.
Come along, then.
[SOFT MUSIC.]
[DOOR BEEPS.]
[EXHALES.]
You okay? Promise me, when you kill the Lady, you will make it hurt.
A lot.
Right through the heart, Papa Bear.
[SHARPLY INHALES.]
[GRUNTS.]
- I got you.
- Ugh, not again, not again.
What the hell? It's Aneela.
I think she's breaking.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[ROCK MUSIC.]
Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh Ooh, ooh [SPACESHIP WHOOSHING.]
It started in Utopia.
It was just flashes of Aneela at first.
Then I coughed blood a few times.
The scars didn't start until Telen.
- You knew about this? - I asked him not to tell.
We have the spore, a greenpool.
We're so close to defeating the Lady and rescuing Aneela.
I didn't want to worry you.
Well, my best friend's spontaneously bleeding, and my brother's hiding it from me.
- No worries, super chill.
- Johnny, I wanted Look, I am cool, cool, cool with you guys being badasses with benefits, but what I am not cool with is you hiding shit behind my back.
Except for the sex stuff.
Walls are thin enough.
Lucy, send this bioscan to Zeph.
Maybe she can figure out whatever the shit it is.
15 minutes until we reach the Armada.
- Welcome home, Awesome Force.
- Last lap, boys.
Now we just need to evict the RAC's new tenants, and get us a greenpool.
Take back the Rack.
Sound familiar? Sequels are the best.
More bang, more boom.
More bow-chicka-wow-wow.
Yeah, but it's always a bit of a letdown.
Yeah, like, find a fresh angle already.
Come on.
Velubian Nights 2? Knights of the Mound Table 3? Classics.
- Porn classics.
- Of course.
Regular sequels are terrible.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE.]
You're goddamn late.
Okay, Dutch is waiting for us on the bridge.
Okay, and you're absolutely, positively, cross your heart or I will die sure that all headbutting is off the table? Because the last time she saw me, there was headbutting.
Dutch knows the Lady was controlling you when you tried to steal Jaq.
But does she know that the spider went through my mouth? My mouth, Zeph.
Well, your mouth is your calling card.
- Guilty.
- Come on.
If Dutch really thought you were a threat, you wouldn't be here.
She's a master assassin.
Yes, assassins.
So fun, lovely people.
I tell you what, um I am going to leave you two to catch up, hang out.
Do all that fun lady stuff that you do.
And in the meantime, I am going to find myself a new identity, and a new face, okay? Oh, Pip? Do I get a say in your new face? Don't say Johnny.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
The deal is simple.
Take the RAC, free the kids.
Kick some green ass.
Now, we know from our recon, kids are being held here.
The docking bay is here.
So first order of business is clearing them a path.
Weej will lead the first wave.
What the hells is a Weej? A new ship? - Did we get a new ship? - Weej, Turin's pet Hullen.
Aww it's hard when a younger, - cuter model comes along, huh? - You all done, Jaqobis? As I was saying, Weej leads first wave.
Hold on, you want to put a Hullen drone in the vanguard? These Dolls are the Lady's slaves.
Trusting one is mission suicide.
Trusting one is our best shot at getting inside without tripping the alarm.
Weej has proved himself.
Don't like it? Take another Warrant.
Easy.
The Dolls are running regular kiddie shuttles from Westerley.
We intercept the next one, swap it out for one of our Black Root ships.
Weej flies in with a team of Killjoys.
Once they're inside, Weej opens the docking bay - for the next wave to follow.
- No, no.
John, D'av, and I will ride point with the Hullen.
I already have a team trained and prepped.
We can't trust this op with anyone but the best.
Look, we took the RAC before.
We'll do it again.
Take a walk with me, Yardeen.
Someone just got called into the principal's office.
BOTH: Shut up, Fancy.
Undermine me again, and I will kick your assassin ass back to Level One.
Level One? Warrants? The RAC's gone, Chief.
It's just Hullen and human now.
And my humans have been training hard to kick Hullen ass.
You can't just blow in here like you're the only Killjoy with a dog in this fight.
This is my fight.
My family are the reason why the Hullen are here.
I don't give a good greasy fart who started this.
The Hullen took our home.
My Killjoys have earned the right to take it back.
You know the RAC has a greenpool.
It's my only way in, and Aneela's only way out.
I can't risk losing it to the Lady's control.
And I can't ask my men to put their lives at risk to save some nutjob who blew up three RACs.
These Green bastards are stealing Westy kids, and we don't know why.
Interstellar won't answer.
The Nine walked away.
We're all that's left.
The Hullen took our home, but not our goddamn hearts.
[SOFT MUSIC.]
Guess a lot's changed around here.
You have a heart now.
That's new.
I forgot what a pain in the ass you are.
The RAC made you a hero, Yardeen.
Time to give someone else a shot.
Mm, the RAC mostly just yelled at me.
[SCOFFS.]
And some things never change.
I want kiss you on your forehead right now.
I will kick you in the box.
[LAUGHS.]
[LASERS BLASTING.]
[GRUNTING.]
Dump the bodies.
I'll let Turin know the convoy's been captured.
The deal was I take out the pilots, you get the guards.
Well, if you spent a little less time making your punches look pretty, you might have got a few more in.
Care to put some money on that? - What's on the table? - When we get to the RAC, if my Hullen count beats yours, I get your gun.
All right.
Mine beats yours, I get your ponytail.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
It's go time.
First team in position.
[SPACESHIP WHOOSHES.]
Weej in position.
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Second team in position.
Third team in position.
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
You're up, Weej.
[SPACESHIP WHOOSHES.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
- That's my guy.
- I'm your guy.
[EXPLOSION BOOMS.]
I'm the only one with the codes to unlock the RAC's exterior cannons, so how the hells did the Hullen gain access? They didn't.
We talking sabotage? They got a mole on the inside? The problem's definitely outside.
The final reading from Weej's ship show that he crashed into a biophasic shield.
A bioshield? What the shit is that? Hullen biotech, it's like an immune system around the RAC.
It scans your ship.
If it reads you as a virus, - bye-bye go boom.
- But Weej was Hullen.
He should have passed right through.
But the undercover Killjoys weren't.
But there's no way you could have known.
The Hullen probably put up a shield after Weej saved Gared and Pree.
So how do we tear this bitch down? Hullen tech is powered by plasma.
Probably the green that they're taking out of the Dolls, so we either need to unplug it, or punch through it.
Keep me briefed.
Dismissed.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I'm sorry you lost your Weej.
Just tear the goddamn shield down so we can bring the goddamn kids home.
Promise you won't tell anyone.
- Not even Pip.
- But he's safe now.
I told you I deactivated the spider.
Yeah, but I can't have anyone think these wounds could compromise the mission, and before spiderbrain, Pippen and secrets didn't play well together.
He's with us now, Dutch.
And Pip caught spider fever trying to save you, remember? He even wore a helmet.
We're going to get that thing out of him, and Johnny just found a shit ton of data on Hullen tech that might help.
[SIGHS.]
Okay.
Enough boy talk.
Show me your boo-boos.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Well, injuries are surface-only, so yay.
But the cicatrization is way too fast.
These scars look years old.
But they started bleeding a few days ago.
Maybe if you're feeling Aneela's pain, you're also healing like her too.
- But the Hullen don't scar.
- Nobody scars like that unless they're being branded or carved with a laser.
For an ancient bitch, this Lady sure has a steady hand.
Look how intricate that is.
It looks more like a tattoo, or maybe a message.
Or a ransom note.
Find out what it means.
Aneela may be strong, but she's been hurting a long time.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Hullen tech is biological.
It has to be hacked on a cellular level, so using Khlyen's research, Lucy and I came up with a badass plan to beat this bioshield.
With this, the crypto cellular converter, or Regressor.
Old Lucy found this dirty beast in the patent database slush pile.
It connects the user to mitochondrial memory - to control their DNA.
- With your mind! [TENSE MUSIC.]
Yeah, a kookypants geneticist built it to cure hereditary disorders.
Changes your hair from curly to straight.
Save on bathroom time.
Smart.
Yeah, except for the seizures.
Short bursts are harmless, but prolonged exposure? Super ouchie.
How will it take down the shield? If we patch the Regressor to the plasmas Zeph siphoned from Weej, it should allow John to control the shield long enough for our ships to pass through unharmed.
Until the seizures.
Yeah, but the buzz before is supposed to be amazing.
The only prototype is stashed here, on Leith.
When Dr.
Kookypants died, Kookypants Jr.
started a kookypants compound.
They use it to keep their members nicely brainwashed and super cult-y.
Cult-y like witches? Robo-goat sacrifice? - Group orgies? - Worse, Rebirthers.
- Hippies.
- Ugh.
I hate hippies.
Even sex cults are cleaner.
- - [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
We ran these symbols through every archival database.
The closest match was Scarback.
- And what is that? - Foreskin stretcher.
Works for nipples too.
This is a shadow scar.
It's the language of our dead.
Every Scarback creates their own to be carved on their body at death.
That's cheerful.
These were carved on Dutch from the inside.
We think the Lady is sending some sort of message.
And using the Scarback's language as a Speak-and-Slice feels like The Lady's wheelhouse.
Ugh, why are the ancient entities so stabbily-ever-after? It's never an equation or a clean line of code.
A story is powerful.
It's how we make memories.
How we shape desires.
Why I have clients.
Even shadow symbols are stories.
How so? Each symbol is one of three, see? This one is "ascend" or "evolve.
" This one is "elixir.
" This is "disappear" or "dissolve.
" Together, they form a new meaning, but whatever it was died with the Scarback.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
A cryptic crossword goodie.
I'm going to need to think.
Are rooms here by the hour? - - [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Why do all the weirdos go to Leith? Huh.
These robes are so breezy.
I told you not to wear your boxers.
Already bickering.
Date's going well.
BOTH: It's not a date.
Sass, wigs, possible punching? Sounds like your dream date.
A cheese plate and a movie would just kill the romance.
Show's about to start, Johnny.
Get me a Regressor, be home by curfew, and do not drink the Kool-Aid.
Welcome, my brothers, my sisters, non-binaries, and future luminaries.
[CHUCKLES.]
Today, you are all reborn.
Who is brave enough to take the first step? BOTH: Hellsa-lujah! Ah.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I have the calculations for the jump cube and RAC dimensions, Johnny.
But we won't be able to jump the cube around the greenpool without knowing the pool's volume and depth.
Well, that's what this little cutie's for.
You just drop it in, and the dimensions get relayed back to the mama cube.
Using the jump cube to teleport the greenpool off the RAC will limit your escape options.
I hear you, Luce, but I promised Dutch a greenpool for her birthday.
Are you unhappy with my work, Johnny? No.
Never, girl.
But your dopamine levels have decreased since our return to the Quad.
- A lot of changes, I guess.
- Dutch and D'avin.
You're worried how you fit into their new configuration.
No.
Maybe, I I mean, if I'm going to be third wheel for someone, it's going to be those dysfunctional dumplings.
I just I don't know, I guess it'd just be nice to have someone to ride shotgun with, you know? But you already ride shotgun with me.
[EXHALES.]
Always and forever, Lucy girl.
[SOFT MUSIC.]
[GROOVY MUSIC.]
We get the user's manual, then we bail.
There's a long line outside.
We'll have to take them down quietly.
Yeah, well, lucky for us, this tent comes with soundproofing.
The Regressor will help us to unlock the potential of your genes.
Explore the gifts of your ancestors.
Using these, I will guide you through your living memory to find the genes necessary to rebirth you as one of us.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Still your mind as I count you back.
Ten Nine Eight Seven [INHALES SHARPLY.]
[SHARP BREATHS.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[GASP.]
[GRUNTS.]
[LABORED BREATH.]
Something's wrong.
Unplug her, now.
No, no, no, she's connecting with her ancestral past.
Screw it! Are you okay? What happened? I connected with Aneela.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
I am very proud of you.
That was some deep emotional work.
- Can we hit him now? - Hmm? [GRUNTS.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[GRUNTING.]
[MUFFLED GRUNTING.]
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
Wardrobe change.
All in all, not a bad date.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Maintenance call.
Mix-up in the birthing order.
Lots of confusion on the astral plane.
And the chakras.
Completely tits up.
Watch your auras, kids.
What happened when you saw Aneela? She showed me her scars.
They're from Aneela, not the Lady.
She's telling me how to get into the green.
"Ascend, elixir, dissolve.
" Why is the Lady tattooing Dutch with shitty haikus? [GRUNTS.]
How is this even science? [HEAVY PANTING.]
[BOTH MOAN.]
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
I need more bloodflow to the brain.
Are you cool to hang me upside down? - Oh, like we practiced? - Yeah.
Yeah.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
Wow.
- Shit, I got nothing.
- Huh? [STAMMERS.]
You know, Little Pip's going to need a bit of time before the thinking caps go back on.
[BOTH BREATHE DEEPLY.]
Why do you wear that? You know it's for the Madelaines, right? Those freaky farmers on Leith with the bonnets and babies.
Yeah, also known as my family of origin.
Shit, I'm I'm sorry.
No, it's fine.
That's why I don't do relationships with dudes.
[SCOFFS.]
Look, I know the deal was banging buddies only, but I just want to know you.
Can we just talk? Will talking about my sisters being traded like cows or how fun it is to be shunned will that make it better? And if everything I want and everything I choose is just some vestige of trauma, what gets to be mine? When do I stop being a victim and get to be the authentic me? [SOFT MUSIC.]
And that's why I chose to claim it.
And if you don't respect that, then, well - I guess you don't respect me.
- No, I do.
And I know it's a lot to ask, but Can you respect that this is hard for me? And that I'm trying? We'll find a middle.
[SNIFFS.]
[GRUNTS.]
[SIGHS.]
[SOFT MUSIC.]
Middle is good.
[SPACESHIP WHOOSHES.]
Now that we have the Regressor, we can punch a hole through the shield, free the kids, and steal the greenpool.
Once I plug in, I'll control the shield long enough for our ships to pass through.
But if you're stuck on the other side when it goes back up, you're SOL.
So we go in hard, and move fast.
Why can't you just bring the damn thing down? Because our brains aren't designed to speak microcell.
The longer I'm plugged in, the bigger chance my brain melts.
Might be an improvement.
Or bring me down to your level.
I'll put both of you in the corner.
Once John gives the all-clear, Gared and I will head for the kids, get them on our ship, and make for Westerly.
Fancy and I are diversionary detail, keeping the Hullen away from Gared, Pree, and Dutch.
I'll use the vents to get to the greenpool, throw the transponder into the pool so that Lucy can port it back to the Armada, then meet up with Fancy and D'avin.
Circle back to the ship.
Zeph thinks I can keep the shield open for about 30 minutes before my brain starts to reject the tech.
All right.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
What are you waiting for? A written invitation? Corsage? Uh, more like your order.
- Technically, you're the boss.
- Technically.
- It's more politeness, really.
- Ceremonial.
Like a figurehead.
No real power.
You're fired, all of you.
[CHUCKLING.]
Hey, what do you think? I really wanted something that would accentuate - my lack of body mass.
- You're not going.
- I kind of am.
- No, you can't go, I'm - You're not the boss of me.
- I'm not saying I'm the boss - La-la-la-la-la-la - Hey, listen.
You don't have to prove yourself.
- I know you're brave.
- Yeah, with you.
Sure, sometimes.
But I think it's about time I tried the whole brave thing solo.
Look, I can do the whole "I'm dying, not really living" thing, or I can dress up like a mime, go rescue a bunch of kids from the world's worst sleepover.
With you and Johnny staying behind, someone's got to be the designated geek.
Heroes gonna hero, right? Okay, okay.
Windpipe's crushing.
Okay, um Promise me you'll ride with Dutch.
No, not a chance.
The woman hates me.
But she owes me, and she won't let you go unless she can spider-watch you.
- That's racist.
- On the plus side, an unstoppable assassin makes a really good bodyguard.
You are very wise, Zephyr of Leith.
Okay, are we doing a good-bye kiss or keeping it profes [SOFT MUSIC.]
[CYMBAL SHIMMERING.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
- First team standing by.
- You're looking fierce, bro.
[LAUGHS.]
- Second team, standing by.
- Locked and loaded.
Third team, standing by.
Ready to kick some Hullen heinie.
Ready to blast some Hullen ass.
Ready to stick it up their wickets.
Yeah, those weren't great.
Is Weenie Jaqobis plugged in yet? Almost there, Little Red.
Hey, thanks for doing all the heavy geeking while we were AWOL.
I know how hard you nerded.
Well, not hard enough.
Pip is still dying, and Dutch is still bleeding.
When this is over, it's my turn to step up.
And we will fix them together, I promise.
Okay.
- Ready? - Yeah.
I've adapted the Regressor to connect with the goo.
[EXHALES.]
Oh, boy.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[GRUNTS.]
[COMPUTER BEEPING.]
[LAUGHS.]
This is incredible.
I am the Biohackster! You will bow before my glory! [LAUGHS.]
Keep it in your pants, Jaqobis.
Listen to the ginger-red man.
I don't need your neural activity spiking - and you stroking out.
- Almost there, stand by.
Let's get it in the air, people.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Shields are down, bitches.
[SPACESHIP WHOOSHES.]
Bring 'em home.
All right, assholes, enough with the shy virgin act.
Talk to me.
Where are we at? - Not far enough.
- Well, haul ass, Yardeen.
Timeline's tighter than your goddamn pants.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Can't you move any faster? I'm trying, but I can't move if I can't see.
This uniform's a dang wedgie machine.
Uh, well, keep up, or I'm leaving you behind.
Okay, we need to talk about your competitiveness.
It's going to give me an ulcer.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
A couple hundred meters from the kids.
And selling the shit out of these disguises.
D'avikins? How's our diversion coming? Don't worry, we'll have the Hullen on the other side of you in five.
Closing in on a cluster of greenturds now.
Language, Foxy.
There are kids around.
Ready for a haircut? [GRUNTING.]
Keep your gun warm for me.
That wasn't very sportsmanlike.
I had to tie up the score.
Too bad you don't shoot like you punch.
Well, I'd be ahead if the Hullen weren't bleeding half their force for green.
[GRUNTING.]
- You in yet? - Almost there.
[EXHALES.]
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES.]
But [ALARM BLARES.]
And let the games begin.
[ALARM BLARES.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
- Gared! - Hey.
- It's okay, he's not a Howler.
- Who's ready to go home? Come on, come on.
Act like bunnies.
That's right, careful, careful.
Come on.
Nine.
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES.]
- Ten.
- We're tied.
Going to lap you, Jaqobis.
Still have a chance to take out a few more on our way to Dutch.
I'd start saying my good-byes now.
You were more fun when I could shoot you.
[COMPUTER BEEPING.]
It's starting to reject you.
[LAUGHS.]
Story of my life.
Just when they get to know you.
- Dutch, where are you? - Almost there.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Help me.
[GRUNTING.]
I'm cramping up.
Whoa, sorry.
Okay, any closer and I'll bite.
Don't do that.
[BOTH GRUNTING.]
Yeah, that's it, that's it.
Okay, all right.
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
Thank you.
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
Sweet Jerminia Brown, it was like snorting hairballs in there.
You have my inhaler? Okay.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Okay, scratch everything I just said.
Can we go back into the vents now? We're on the same page, Pipster.
[EXHALES.]
[WATER BUBBLING.]
[BEEPING.]
The transponder's in the pool.
You can send over the jump cube.
Porting now.
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Greenpool is in the air.
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES.]
Did it work? Are we poolside? [BEEPING.]
- She's packing green.
- Come on, come on.
Pree, how much more time do you need? We have the precious cargo.
All missing kids accounted for.
Setting course for Westerley now.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE.]
Here's a little steroid cocktail to help you hold on until Dutch and D'av clear the RAC.
[GROANING.]
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
This level's locked down.
Did you get the greenpool? Zeph just confirmed it.
Johnny's barely holding on.
- We need to leave.
- Oh, uh Sorry, was there a uniform memo that I just didn't get? [SCREAMING.]
It's dying.
- The shield, I felt it dying.
- Then it worked.
It must have unplugged it when we ported the pool.
[SPACESHIP WHIRRING SLOWS.]
- What the hells? - Hullen shield crashed.
It took out the entire grid.
The RAC's system, it'll see it as a virus and respond with a hard reboot to keep the ship from imploding.
But the shield's down.
Why isn't that a good thing? Because a hard reboot is very, very bad.
- Why? - Because the Hullen will finally be able to access the RAC's heavy cannon.
Their weapons systems are powering up now.
With the green crystallized on the Armada, we can't raise the shields or get out of range.
- We're - Perfect targets.
[ALARM BLARING.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[ALARM BLARING.]
RAC guns are online in ten.
I want everyone on a ship in five.
Go, go, go, go.
That means you too, Jaqobis.
What are you doing? The RAC will just blast them out of the sky.
Better than waiting for them to drop an anvil on our nutsacks.
Can we take out the cannons on our end? There are four of us.
We'll never get 'em all off before they take down the Armada.
Well, can't you hack something? Not in ten minutes.
The RAC systems are protected by Hydraic firewalls.
You crack one, two more pop up.
You crack two, it quadruples.
So we take the old girl down.
No, we don't have enough firepower.
No, dipshit, we use my master code and blow it out of the sky.
Bitch of it is, code has to be entered manually, so whoever punches it in punches his own ticket.
One of you ain't coming back.
- I'll do it.
- Like hells you will.
- I'll do it.
- What about Jaq? - You promised.
- Ugh, I'll do it.
Just so I don't have to watch this.
No, I got the shortest straw.
Look, whenever RAC arises from these ashes, it's going to need Killjoys.
And a designated asshole.
And it's okay.
I know I'm a dead man walking.
That doesn't scare me.
The thing that put a spider in my brain, that does.
And I know that you guys are the only ones that can stop it.
Pip.
I can't, Zeph Will never forgive herself when she can't save me, but she will get over me dying to save you.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Thank you for your service, soldier.
[CHUCKLES.]
Uh, yeah, not a hugger.
That checks out.
Downloading the code to your PDD now.
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
We're all with you, Pip.
Shit You can stop, Zeph.
I'll port the cube onto the cargo hold, so if we go down, it won't be for nothing.
Wait, what do you mean, stop? Turin's using the auto-destruct codes.
But those have to be entered manually.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Dutch? No.
Fancy? No, no.
Pip? We're clear, Pip.
She's all yours.
Pip? [EXHALES.]
I was wondering when you'd call.
I want you to get out of there, and I want you to do it now, do you hear me? Then the RAC would blow you up, and I'm not cool with that.
Why are you doing this, Pip? Because if I didn't, then I'd probably never get laid again.
[INHALES SHARPLY.]
But I haven't figured out how to get into the green yet.
We have so much thinking to do.
Just find Dutch.
She'll get you out, she's magic.
You scientists don't believe in magic.
I will if it'll bring you back.
You're looking at this the wrong way, Zephyr.
A genius farm girl from Leith almost falling for a spoiled loudmouth from Qresh? [SOFT MUSIC.]
Hells if that ain't magic.
Pip? I [SOBS.]
It's okay, Zeph.
I know.
[BEEPING.]
[ALARM BLARING.]
Meet me in the middle.
Pip? Pip? [LOUD BEEPING.]
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Good-bye, old girl.
[SOBBING.]
Okay, that's all three of us.
- How are you feeling? - About as good as you can feel after you have a piece of your brain removed.
The only way to keep Jaq safe was to make a Remnant of his location.
The Lady can't steal what we don't remember.
I promised not to forget him.
How many promises will I have to break to keep him safe? [SOFT MUSIC.]
Let's destroy it.
Jaq will find me when it's over.
Once Zeph decodes Aneela's scars, - we'll end all of this.
- About that.
I need to speak with Dutch alone.
The floor is all yours.
Here's everything I found on the scars.
Definitions, etymology of "ascend, elixir, disappear.
" But if it's a way into greenspace, I don't know how.
But Aneela wouldn't send them if they weren't the key.
Well, I put some of my working theories on there - as a springboard for John.
- John? Zeph, we need you.
Tell him to look into how caterpillars liquefy in a cocoon.
They retain their memories even as they change form.
It was his choice, Zeph.
Pip makes terrible life choices.
Everyone knows that.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
You know what they say about Team Awesome Force? They say D'av will take the bullet, John will fix what's broken, and Dutch will bring you home.
You were supposed to bring him home.
[SIGHS.]
[GRUNTS.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Elixir Evolve, disappear.
- - [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
[UPBEAT MUSIC.]
Westerley is back to normal.
The kids are home, the parents are happy.
Ugh, remind me never to have kids.
So whenever you're ready to give me your gun is cool.
[SIGHS.]
[GRUNTS.]
Now we're tied.
Ex-Hullen count for two.
- Hey, where's Zeph? - Taking a breather.
I'm not really her favorite person right now.
[ROCK MUSIC.]
To Pip.
- To Pip.
- To Pip.
I'm going to miss that annoying, majestic little shit.
Johnny, D'av.
I know what Aneela was trying to say.
"Ascend, elixir, dissolve.
" Aneela wasn't just telling me how to get in.
She was telling me how to let her out What did you do? [HEAVY BREATHING.]
You're the thief who saved my life.
[PANTS.]
- But you need a better guide.
- Dutch! [GRUNTS.]
Someone to bring us home when we kick the Lady's ass.
[GRUNTS.]
Dutch? [TENSE MUSIC.]
[GASPS.]
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
[HIGHER VOICE.]
Hello, boys.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[GASPS.]
Hey, Lady.
Miss me?
What the hell do you think you're doing? There's a spider in your brain.
It controls you without you even knowing it.
It's literally keeping you alive now.
[SCREAMS.]
What do the Hullen want with kids? - I don't know.
- Why did they take Gared? They think he knew something.
They took him to be interrogated.
- We're busting out of here.
- No, the kids.
No, don't, Gared! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
If we try to save those kids like this, we're dead.
We have to come back for them.
Why did you leave the Scarbacks? Faith is like any type of romance.
You can't love someone if they don't think you're worth the truth.
Why are the Hullen hunting me? We know the Lady wants you.
We just don't know why.
Before she left, Delle Seyah gave me this.
I think I could be safe there with her.
I need to know if you're giving up on us.
- No.
- Good.
Ah! Ow, my back! What is it? What's happening? [COMPUTER BEEPING.]
- - Did you enjoy Khlyen's case study on the chemical properties of plasma, Seyah? Definitely not a best-seller.
I hope the sequel has more sex.
The remaining files from Khlyen's data purge contain no references to erotic interplay - between humans.
- Thank gods for study aids.
Seyah, I'm detecting a breach in the Docking Bay.
A breach? No one knows I'm here.
Perhaps pirates, scavengers.
It's never housekeeping.
- On screen.
- Apologies, Seyah, but my camera feeds have been disabled.
Disabled how? My security protocols have been taken offline.
- Well, get them online.
- I cannot.
All my subroutines have been remotely firewalled.
So what can you do? I can tell you my geolocators show movement 50 meters from our current location.
40 meters.
30 meters.
- 20 meters.
- Fine.
- If you want me, come get me.
- Ten meters.
Zero meters.
[TORCH HISSES.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[LOCK CLINKS.]
[UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC.]
It's your weekend.
[EXHALES.]
This chip was for emergencies.
And we're cashing it in.
The Lady wants Jaq.
- Almost caught him on Telen - I'm sorry, Jaq? Yeah, Ozzman wasn't really a fit.
Little man's like, 100% D'av.
Can't lie for shit, and gullible as mittens.
He goes by Jaq now.
His choice.
I left Jaq with you so he'd be safe.
He won't be safe until we kill the Lady, so until then, we need to hide him where she can't find him.
- Surprise.
- Next time, call ahead.
So you'll protect him? Just let that bitch try to take him.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I'll get the rest of his things.
I thought you were going to Qresh to take back the Nine.
And I will when Aneela can rule beside me.
Khlyen told me he kept safehouses across the J.
If he knew how to get into greenspace, he would have hidden the secret in one of them.
So I've been tracking them all down since I left.
Westerley, Prodigy, here on Arkyn.
Khlyen made a weapon in this lab.
One that could defeat the Lady.
Hold up, you know about the spore? One day, Killjoy, you'll accept that I know everything.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Here, I've even done your job for you.
What I found so far.
All of Khlyen's research on the Green.
Hullen biotech, mostly.
How the plasma powers their systems.
It's useless now, now that the Green's frozen.
And the greenspace? I used to dream of seeing you hurt like this after Pawter.
But I'll free Aneela.
I promise.
[INHALES.]
But if you use a cryopod for a babysitter, we will have words.
[BEEPING.]
Labeling? I'm the only kid here.
Soldiers get a little OCD before a mission.
He's totally going to cry, isn't he? Like, snot bubble hard.
[EXHALES.]
- Keep up your training, okay? - It won't be the same with somebody else pulling knives on me.
Oh, Delle Seyah's pretty handy with a backstab.
Not every fight's won with weapons, so learn from her.
And be gentle.
He may be big, but he's made of marshmallow.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
All right, go on, then.
Socks and underwear are in your shoes.
Shirts are rolled up into your pants.
Packing is all about maximizing space.
[EXHALES.]
Damn it, I forgot a jacket.
Dad, I'll be okay.
Dad.
[SOFT MUSIC.]
I was just getting used to that.
And now you're leaving.
Uh, something else.
It was the only picture I had.
Don't forget me.
Never.
[DOOR BEEPS.]
You ready to go, you little booger? So, it's Jaq now, is it? Hello, Mother.
Hello, Jaqobis Ozzman Kin Rit.
Yes, ma'am.
Come along, then.
[SOFT MUSIC.]
[DOOR BEEPS.]
[EXHALES.]
You okay? Promise me, when you kill the Lady, you will make it hurt.
A lot.
Right through the heart, Papa Bear.
[SHARPLY INHALES.]
[GRUNTS.]
- I got you.
- Ugh, not again, not again.
What the hell? It's Aneela.
I think she's breaking.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[ROCK MUSIC.]
Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh Ooh, ooh [SPACESHIP WHOOSHING.]
It started in Utopia.
It was just flashes of Aneela at first.
Then I coughed blood a few times.
The scars didn't start until Telen.
- You knew about this? - I asked him not to tell.
We have the spore, a greenpool.
We're so close to defeating the Lady and rescuing Aneela.
I didn't want to worry you.
Well, my best friend's spontaneously bleeding, and my brother's hiding it from me.
- No worries, super chill.
- Johnny, I wanted Look, I am cool, cool, cool with you guys being badasses with benefits, but what I am not cool with is you hiding shit behind my back.
Except for the sex stuff.
Walls are thin enough.
Lucy, send this bioscan to Zeph.
Maybe she can figure out whatever the shit it is.
15 minutes until we reach the Armada.
- Welcome home, Awesome Force.
- Last lap, boys.
Now we just need to evict the RAC's new tenants, and get us a greenpool.
Take back the Rack.
Sound familiar? Sequels are the best.
More bang, more boom.
More bow-chicka-wow-wow.
Yeah, but it's always a bit of a letdown.
Yeah, like, find a fresh angle already.
Come on.
Velubian Nights 2? Knights of the Mound Table 3? Classics.
- Porn classics.
- Of course.
Regular sequels are terrible.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE.]
You're goddamn late.
Okay, Dutch is waiting for us on the bridge.
Okay, and you're absolutely, positively, cross your heart or I will die sure that all headbutting is off the table? Because the last time she saw me, there was headbutting.
Dutch knows the Lady was controlling you when you tried to steal Jaq.
But does she know that the spider went through my mouth? My mouth, Zeph.
Well, your mouth is your calling card.
- Guilty.
- Come on.
If Dutch really thought you were a threat, you wouldn't be here.
She's a master assassin.
Yes, assassins.
So fun, lovely people.
I tell you what, um I am going to leave you two to catch up, hang out.
Do all that fun lady stuff that you do.
And in the meantime, I am going to find myself a new identity, and a new face, okay? Oh, Pip? Do I get a say in your new face? Don't say Johnny.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
The deal is simple.
Take the RAC, free the kids.
Kick some green ass.
Now, we know from our recon, kids are being held here.
The docking bay is here.
So first order of business is clearing them a path.
Weej will lead the first wave.
What the hells is a Weej? A new ship? - Did we get a new ship? - Weej, Turin's pet Hullen.
Aww it's hard when a younger, - cuter model comes along, huh? - You all done, Jaqobis? As I was saying, Weej leads first wave.
Hold on, you want to put a Hullen drone in the vanguard? These Dolls are the Lady's slaves.
Trusting one is mission suicide.
Trusting one is our best shot at getting inside without tripping the alarm.
Weej has proved himself.
Don't like it? Take another Warrant.
Easy.
The Dolls are running regular kiddie shuttles from Westerley.
We intercept the next one, swap it out for one of our Black Root ships.
Weej flies in with a team of Killjoys.
Once they're inside, Weej opens the docking bay - for the next wave to follow.
- No, no.
John, D'av, and I will ride point with the Hullen.
I already have a team trained and prepped.
We can't trust this op with anyone but the best.
Look, we took the RAC before.
We'll do it again.
Take a walk with me, Yardeen.
Someone just got called into the principal's office.
BOTH: Shut up, Fancy.
Undermine me again, and I will kick your assassin ass back to Level One.
Level One? Warrants? The RAC's gone, Chief.
It's just Hullen and human now.
And my humans have been training hard to kick Hullen ass.
You can't just blow in here like you're the only Killjoy with a dog in this fight.
This is my fight.
My family are the reason why the Hullen are here.
I don't give a good greasy fart who started this.
The Hullen took our home.
My Killjoys have earned the right to take it back.
You know the RAC has a greenpool.
It's my only way in, and Aneela's only way out.
I can't risk losing it to the Lady's control.
And I can't ask my men to put their lives at risk to save some nutjob who blew up three RACs.
These Green bastards are stealing Westy kids, and we don't know why.
Interstellar won't answer.
The Nine walked away.
We're all that's left.
The Hullen took our home, but not our goddamn hearts.
[SOFT MUSIC.]
Guess a lot's changed around here.
You have a heart now.
That's new.
I forgot what a pain in the ass you are.
The RAC made you a hero, Yardeen.
Time to give someone else a shot.
Mm, the RAC mostly just yelled at me.
[SCOFFS.]
And some things never change.
I want kiss you on your forehead right now.
I will kick you in the box.
[LAUGHS.]
[LASERS BLASTING.]
[GRUNTING.]
Dump the bodies.
I'll let Turin know the convoy's been captured.
The deal was I take out the pilots, you get the guards.
Well, if you spent a little less time making your punches look pretty, you might have got a few more in.
Care to put some money on that? - What's on the table? - When we get to the RAC, if my Hullen count beats yours, I get your gun.
All right.
Mine beats yours, I get your ponytail.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
It's go time.
First team in position.
[SPACESHIP WHOOSHES.]
Weej in position.
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Second team in position.
Third team in position.
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
You're up, Weej.
[SPACESHIP WHOOSHES.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
- That's my guy.
- I'm your guy.
[EXPLOSION BOOMS.]
I'm the only one with the codes to unlock the RAC's exterior cannons, so how the hells did the Hullen gain access? They didn't.
We talking sabotage? They got a mole on the inside? The problem's definitely outside.
The final reading from Weej's ship show that he crashed into a biophasic shield.
A bioshield? What the shit is that? Hullen biotech, it's like an immune system around the RAC.
It scans your ship.
If it reads you as a virus, - bye-bye go boom.
- But Weej was Hullen.
He should have passed right through.
But the undercover Killjoys weren't.
But there's no way you could have known.
The Hullen probably put up a shield after Weej saved Gared and Pree.
So how do we tear this bitch down? Hullen tech is powered by plasma.
Probably the green that they're taking out of the Dolls, so we either need to unplug it, or punch through it.
Keep me briefed.
Dismissed.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I'm sorry you lost your Weej.
Just tear the goddamn shield down so we can bring the goddamn kids home.
Promise you won't tell anyone.
- Not even Pip.
- But he's safe now.
I told you I deactivated the spider.
Yeah, but I can't have anyone think these wounds could compromise the mission, and before spiderbrain, Pippen and secrets didn't play well together.
He's with us now, Dutch.
And Pip caught spider fever trying to save you, remember? He even wore a helmet.
We're going to get that thing out of him, and Johnny just found a shit ton of data on Hullen tech that might help.
[SIGHS.]
Okay.
Enough boy talk.
Show me your boo-boos.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Well, injuries are surface-only, so yay.
But the cicatrization is way too fast.
These scars look years old.
But they started bleeding a few days ago.
Maybe if you're feeling Aneela's pain, you're also healing like her too.
- But the Hullen don't scar.
- Nobody scars like that unless they're being branded or carved with a laser.
For an ancient bitch, this Lady sure has a steady hand.
Look how intricate that is.
It looks more like a tattoo, or maybe a message.
Or a ransom note.
Find out what it means.
Aneela may be strong, but she's been hurting a long time.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Hullen tech is biological.
It has to be hacked on a cellular level, so using Khlyen's research, Lucy and I came up with a badass plan to beat this bioshield.
With this, the crypto cellular converter, or Regressor.
Old Lucy found this dirty beast in the patent database slush pile.
It connects the user to mitochondrial memory - to control their DNA.
- With your mind! [TENSE MUSIC.]
Yeah, a kookypants geneticist built it to cure hereditary disorders.
Changes your hair from curly to straight.
Save on bathroom time.
Smart.
Yeah, except for the seizures.
Short bursts are harmless, but prolonged exposure? Super ouchie.
How will it take down the shield? If we patch the Regressor to the plasmas Zeph siphoned from Weej, it should allow John to control the shield long enough for our ships to pass through unharmed.
Until the seizures.
Yeah, but the buzz before is supposed to be amazing.
The only prototype is stashed here, on Leith.
When Dr.
Kookypants died, Kookypants Jr.
started a kookypants compound.
They use it to keep their members nicely brainwashed and super cult-y.
Cult-y like witches? Robo-goat sacrifice? - Group orgies? - Worse, Rebirthers.
- Hippies.
- Ugh.
I hate hippies.
Even sex cults are cleaner.
- - [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
We ran these symbols through every archival database.
The closest match was Scarback.
- And what is that? - Foreskin stretcher.
Works for nipples too.
This is a shadow scar.
It's the language of our dead.
Every Scarback creates their own to be carved on their body at death.
That's cheerful.
These were carved on Dutch from the inside.
We think the Lady is sending some sort of message.
And using the Scarback's language as a Speak-and-Slice feels like The Lady's wheelhouse.
Ugh, why are the ancient entities so stabbily-ever-after? It's never an equation or a clean line of code.
A story is powerful.
It's how we make memories.
How we shape desires.
Why I have clients.
Even shadow symbols are stories.
How so? Each symbol is one of three, see? This one is "ascend" or "evolve.
" This one is "elixir.
" This is "disappear" or "dissolve.
" Together, they form a new meaning, but whatever it was died with the Scarback.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
A cryptic crossword goodie.
I'm going to need to think.
Are rooms here by the hour? - - [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Why do all the weirdos go to Leith? Huh.
These robes are so breezy.
I told you not to wear your boxers.
Already bickering.
Date's going well.
BOTH: It's not a date.
Sass, wigs, possible punching? Sounds like your dream date.
A cheese plate and a movie would just kill the romance.
Show's about to start, Johnny.
Get me a Regressor, be home by curfew, and do not drink the Kool-Aid.
Welcome, my brothers, my sisters, non-binaries, and future luminaries.
[CHUCKLES.]
Today, you are all reborn.
Who is brave enough to take the first step? BOTH: Hellsa-lujah! Ah.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
I have the calculations for the jump cube and RAC dimensions, Johnny.
But we won't be able to jump the cube around the greenpool without knowing the pool's volume and depth.
Well, that's what this little cutie's for.
You just drop it in, and the dimensions get relayed back to the mama cube.
Using the jump cube to teleport the greenpool off the RAC will limit your escape options.
I hear you, Luce, but I promised Dutch a greenpool for her birthday.
Are you unhappy with my work, Johnny? No.
Never, girl.
But your dopamine levels have decreased since our return to the Quad.
- A lot of changes, I guess.
- Dutch and D'avin.
You're worried how you fit into their new configuration.
No.
Maybe, I I mean, if I'm going to be third wheel for someone, it's going to be those dysfunctional dumplings.
I just I don't know, I guess it'd just be nice to have someone to ride shotgun with, you know? But you already ride shotgun with me.
[EXHALES.]
Always and forever, Lucy girl.
[SOFT MUSIC.]
[GROOVY MUSIC.]
We get the user's manual, then we bail.
There's a long line outside.
We'll have to take them down quietly.
Yeah, well, lucky for us, this tent comes with soundproofing.
The Regressor will help us to unlock the potential of your genes.
Explore the gifts of your ancestors.
Using these, I will guide you through your living memory to find the genes necessary to rebirth you as one of us.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Still your mind as I count you back.
Ten Nine Eight Seven [INHALES SHARPLY.]
[SHARP BREATHS.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[GASP.]
[GRUNTS.]
[LABORED BREATH.]
Something's wrong.
Unplug her, now.
No, no, no, she's connecting with her ancestral past.
Screw it! Are you okay? What happened? I connected with Aneela.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
I am very proud of you.
That was some deep emotional work.
- Can we hit him now? - Hmm? [GRUNTS.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[GRUNTING.]
[MUFFLED GRUNTING.]
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
Wardrobe change.
All in all, not a bad date.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Maintenance call.
Mix-up in the birthing order.
Lots of confusion on the astral plane.
And the chakras.
Completely tits up.
Watch your auras, kids.
What happened when you saw Aneela? She showed me her scars.
They're from Aneela, not the Lady.
She's telling me how to get into the green.
"Ascend, elixir, dissolve.
" Why is the Lady tattooing Dutch with shitty haikus? [GRUNTS.]
How is this even science? [HEAVY PANTING.]
[BOTH MOAN.]
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
I need more bloodflow to the brain.
Are you cool to hang me upside down? - Oh, like we practiced? - Yeah.
Yeah.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
Wow.
- Shit, I got nothing.
- Huh? [STAMMERS.]
You know, Little Pip's going to need a bit of time before the thinking caps go back on.
[BOTH BREATHE DEEPLY.]
Why do you wear that? You know it's for the Madelaines, right? Those freaky farmers on Leith with the bonnets and babies.
Yeah, also known as my family of origin.
Shit, I'm I'm sorry.
No, it's fine.
That's why I don't do relationships with dudes.
[SCOFFS.]
Look, I know the deal was banging buddies only, but I just want to know you.
Can we just talk? Will talking about my sisters being traded like cows or how fun it is to be shunned will that make it better? And if everything I want and everything I choose is just some vestige of trauma, what gets to be mine? When do I stop being a victim and get to be the authentic me? [SOFT MUSIC.]
And that's why I chose to claim it.
And if you don't respect that, then, well - I guess you don't respect me.
- No, I do.
And I know it's a lot to ask, but Can you respect that this is hard for me? And that I'm trying? We'll find a middle.
[SNIFFS.]
[GRUNTS.]
[SIGHS.]
[SOFT MUSIC.]
Middle is good.
[SPACESHIP WHOOSHES.]
Now that we have the Regressor, we can punch a hole through the shield, free the kids, and steal the greenpool.
Once I plug in, I'll control the shield long enough for our ships to pass through.
But if you're stuck on the other side when it goes back up, you're SOL.
So we go in hard, and move fast.
Why can't you just bring the damn thing down? Because our brains aren't designed to speak microcell.
The longer I'm plugged in, the bigger chance my brain melts.
Might be an improvement.
Or bring me down to your level.
I'll put both of you in the corner.
Once John gives the all-clear, Gared and I will head for the kids, get them on our ship, and make for Westerly.
Fancy and I are diversionary detail, keeping the Hullen away from Gared, Pree, and Dutch.
I'll use the vents to get to the greenpool, throw the transponder into the pool so that Lucy can port it back to the Armada, then meet up with Fancy and D'avin.
Circle back to the ship.
Zeph thinks I can keep the shield open for about 30 minutes before my brain starts to reject the tech.
All right.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
What are you waiting for? A written invitation? Corsage? Uh, more like your order.
- Technically, you're the boss.
- Technically.
- It's more politeness, really.
- Ceremonial.
Like a figurehead.
No real power.
You're fired, all of you.
[CHUCKLING.]
Hey, what do you think? I really wanted something that would accentuate - my lack of body mass.
- You're not going.
- I kind of am.
- No, you can't go, I'm - You're not the boss of me.
- I'm not saying I'm the boss - La-la-la-la-la-la - Hey, listen.
You don't have to prove yourself.
- I know you're brave.
- Yeah, with you.
Sure, sometimes.
But I think it's about time I tried the whole brave thing solo.
Look, I can do the whole "I'm dying, not really living" thing, or I can dress up like a mime, go rescue a bunch of kids from the world's worst sleepover.
With you and Johnny staying behind, someone's got to be the designated geek.
Heroes gonna hero, right? Okay, okay.
Windpipe's crushing.
Okay, um Promise me you'll ride with Dutch.
No, not a chance.
The woman hates me.
But she owes me, and she won't let you go unless she can spider-watch you.
- That's racist.
- On the plus side, an unstoppable assassin makes a really good bodyguard.
You are very wise, Zephyr of Leith.
Okay, are we doing a good-bye kiss or keeping it profes [SOFT MUSIC.]
[CYMBAL SHIMMERING.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
- First team standing by.
- You're looking fierce, bro.
[LAUGHS.]
- Second team, standing by.
- Locked and loaded.
Third team, standing by.
Ready to kick some Hullen heinie.
Ready to blast some Hullen ass.
Ready to stick it up their wickets.
Yeah, those weren't great.
Is Weenie Jaqobis plugged in yet? Almost there, Little Red.
Hey, thanks for doing all the heavy geeking while we were AWOL.
I know how hard you nerded.
Well, not hard enough.
Pip is still dying, and Dutch is still bleeding.
When this is over, it's my turn to step up.
And we will fix them together, I promise.
Okay.
- Ready? - Yeah.
I've adapted the Regressor to connect with the goo.
[EXHALES.]
Oh, boy.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[GRUNTS.]
[COMPUTER BEEPING.]
[LAUGHS.]
This is incredible.
I am the Biohackster! You will bow before my glory! [LAUGHS.]
Keep it in your pants, Jaqobis.
Listen to the ginger-red man.
I don't need your neural activity spiking - and you stroking out.
- Almost there, stand by.
Let's get it in the air, people.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Shields are down, bitches.
[SPACESHIP WHOOSHES.]
Bring 'em home.
All right, assholes, enough with the shy virgin act.
Talk to me.
Where are we at? - Not far enough.
- Well, haul ass, Yardeen.
Timeline's tighter than your goddamn pants.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Can't you move any faster? I'm trying, but I can't move if I can't see.
This uniform's a dang wedgie machine.
Uh, well, keep up, or I'm leaving you behind.
Okay, we need to talk about your competitiveness.
It's going to give me an ulcer.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
A couple hundred meters from the kids.
And selling the shit out of these disguises.
D'avikins? How's our diversion coming? Don't worry, we'll have the Hullen on the other side of you in five.
Closing in on a cluster of greenturds now.
Language, Foxy.
There are kids around.
Ready for a haircut? [GRUNTING.]
Keep your gun warm for me.
That wasn't very sportsmanlike.
I had to tie up the score.
Too bad you don't shoot like you punch.
Well, I'd be ahead if the Hullen weren't bleeding half their force for green.
[GRUNTING.]
- You in yet? - Almost there.
[EXHALES.]
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES.]
But [ALARM BLARES.]
And let the games begin.
[ALARM BLARES.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
- Gared! - Hey.
- It's okay, he's not a Howler.
- Who's ready to go home? Come on, come on.
Act like bunnies.
That's right, careful, careful.
Come on.
Nine.
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES.]
- Ten.
- We're tied.
Going to lap you, Jaqobis.
Still have a chance to take out a few more on our way to Dutch.
I'd start saying my good-byes now.
You were more fun when I could shoot you.
[COMPUTER BEEPING.]
It's starting to reject you.
[LAUGHS.]
Story of my life.
Just when they get to know you.
- Dutch, where are you? - Almost there.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Help me.
[GRUNTING.]
I'm cramping up.
Whoa, sorry.
Okay, any closer and I'll bite.
Don't do that.
[BOTH GRUNTING.]
Yeah, that's it, that's it.
Okay, all right.
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
Thank you.
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
Sweet Jerminia Brown, it was like snorting hairballs in there.
You have my inhaler? Okay.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Okay, scratch everything I just said.
Can we go back into the vents now? We're on the same page, Pipster.
[EXHALES.]
[WATER BUBBLING.]
[BEEPING.]
The transponder's in the pool.
You can send over the jump cube.
Porting now.
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Greenpool is in the air.
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES.]
Did it work? Are we poolside? [BEEPING.]
- She's packing green.
- Come on, come on.
Pree, how much more time do you need? We have the precious cargo.
All missing kids accounted for.
Setting course for Westerley now.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE.]
Here's a little steroid cocktail to help you hold on until Dutch and D'av clear the RAC.
[GROANING.]
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
This level's locked down.
Did you get the greenpool? Zeph just confirmed it.
Johnny's barely holding on.
- We need to leave.
- Oh, uh Sorry, was there a uniform memo that I just didn't get? [SCREAMING.]
It's dying.
- The shield, I felt it dying.
- Then it worked.
It must have unplugged it when we ported the pool.
[SPACESHIP WHIRRING SLOWS.]
- What the hells? - Hullen shield crashed.
It took out the entire grid.
The RAC's system, it'll see it as a virus and respond with a hard reboot to keep the ship from imploding.
But the shield's down.
Why isn't that a good thing? Because a hard reboot is very, very bad.
- Why? - Because the Hullen will finally be able to access the RAC's heavy cannon.
Their weapons systems are powering up now.
With the green crystallized on the Armada, we can't raise the shields or get out of range.
- We're - Perfect targets.
[ALARM BLARING.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[ALARM BLARING.]
RAC guns are online in ten.
I want everyone on a ship in five.
Go, go, go, go.
That means you too, Jaqobis.
What are you doing? The RAC will just blast them out of the sky.
Better than waiting for them to drop an anvil on our nutsacks.
Can we take out the cannons on our end? There are four of us.
We'll never get 'em all off before they take down the Armada.
Well, can't you hack something? Not in ten minutes.
The RAC systems are protected by Hydraic firewalls.
You crack one, two more pop up.
You crack two, it quadruples.
So we take the old girl down.
No, we don't have enough firepower.
No, dipshit, we use my master code and blow it out of the sky.
Bitch of it is, code has to be entered manually, so whoever punches it in punches his own ticket.
One of you ain't coming back.
- I'll do it.
- Like hells you will.
- I'll do it.
- What about Jaq? - You promised.
- Ugh, I'll do it.
Just so I don't have to watch this.
No, I got the shortest straw.
Look, whenever RAC arises from these ashes, it's going to need Killjoys.
And a designated asshole.
And it's okay.
I know I'm a dead man walking.
That doesn't scare me.
The thing that put a spider in my brain, that does.
And I know that you guys are the only ones that can stop it.
Pip.
I can't, Zeph Will never forgive herself when she can't save me, but she will get over me dying to save you.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Thank you for your service, soldier.
[CHUCKLES.]
Uh, yeah, not a hugger.
That checks out.
Downloading the code to your PDD now.
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
We're all with you, Pip.
Shit You can stop, Zeph.
I'll port the cube onto the cargo hold, so if we go down, it won't be for nothing.
Wait, what do you mean, stop? Turin's using the auto-destruct codes.
But those have to be entered manually.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Dutch? No.
Fancy? No, no.
Pip? We're clear, Pip.
She's all yours.
Pip? [EXHALES.]
I was wondering when you'd call.
I want you to get out of there, and I want you to do it now, do you hear me? Then the RAC would blow you up, and I'm not cool with that.
Why are you doing this, Pip? Because if I didn't, then I'd probably never get laid again.
[INHALES SHARPLY.]
But I haven't figured out how to get into the green yet.
We have so much thinking to do.
Just find Dutch.
She'll get you out, she's magic.
You scientists don't believe in magic.
I will if it'll bring you back.
You're looking at this the wrong way, Zephyr.
A genius farm girl from Leith almost falling for a spoiled loudmouth from Qresh? [SOFT MUSIC.]
Hells if that ain't magic.
Pip? I [SOBS.]
It's okay, Zeph.
I know.
[BEEPING.]
[ALARM BLARING.]
Meet me in the middle.
Pip? Pip? [LOUD BEEPING.]
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Good-bye, old girl.
[SOBBING.]
Okay, that's all three of us.
- How are you feeling? - About as good as you can feel after you have a piece of your brain removed.
The only way to keep Jaq safe was to make a Remnant of his location.
The Lady can't steal what we don't remember.
I promised not to forget him.
How many promises will I have to break to keep him safe? [SOFT MUSIC.]
Let's destroy it.
Jaq will find me when it's over.
Once Zeph decodes Aneela's scars, - we'll end all of this.
- About that.
I need to speak with Dutch alone.
The floor is all yours.
Here's everything I found on the scars.
Definitions, etymology of "ascend, elixir, disappear.
" But if it's a way into greenspace, I don't know how.
But Aneela wouldn't send them if they weren't the key.
Well, I put some of my working theories on there - as a springboard for John.
- John? Zeph, we need you.
Tell him to look into how caterpillars liquefy in a cocoon.
They retain their memories even as they change form.
It was his choice, Zeph.
Pip makes terrible life choices.
Everyone knows that.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
You know what they say about Team Awesome Force? They say D'av will take the bullet, John will fix what's broken, and Dutch will bring you home.
You were supposed to bring him home.
[SIGHS.]
[GRUNTS.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Elixir Evolve, disappear.
- - [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
[UPBEAT MUSIC.]
Westerley is back to normal.
The kids are home, the parents are happy.
Ugh, remind me never to have kids.
So whenever you're ready to give me your gun is cool.
[SIGHS.]
[GRUNTS.]
Now we're tied.
Ex-Hullen count for two.
- Hey, where's Zeph? - Taking a breather.
I'm not really her favorite person right now.
[ROCK MUSIC.]
To Pip.
- To Pip.
- To Pip.
I'm going to miss that annoying, majestic little shit.
Johnny, D'av.
I know what Aneela was trying to say.
"Ascend, elixir, dissolve.
" Aneela wasn't just telling me how to get in.
She was telling me how to let her out What did you do? [HEAVY BREATHING.]
You're the thief who saved my life.
[PANTS.]
- But you need a better guide.
- Dutch! [GRUNTS.]
Someone to bring us home when we kick the Lady's ass.
[GRUNTS.]
Dutch? [TENSE MUSIC.]
[GASPS.]
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
[HIGHER VOICE.]
Hello, boys.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[GASPS.]
Hey, Lady.
Miss me?